When It All Changes
by OEAvery
Summary: Xoe is a doctor brought on the Bus after it was revealed that Garett is the Clairvoyant. When Coulson's team (including Xoe, her sidekick Eva, and Trip) join forces with the Avengers, will they be able to stop Hydra? Starts after 1x17 but then goes kind of AU. First story so don't be too mean. Pairings inside. I don't own anything that you've heard of before reading this.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: Xoe is brought on the Bus after it was revealed that Garett is the Clairvoyant. When Coulson's team (including Xoe, her sidekick Eva, and Trip) join forces with the Avengers, will they be able to stop Hydra? Starts after 1x17 but then goes kind of AU.**

**Rating: PG-13**  
**Pairings: Possible SkyeWard, depending on Ward's behavior. If he's bad, I'll melt his eyeballs out and he'll regret it, don't worry. And Skye will end up with someone much better. Steve Rogers/Xoe (OC), Triplett/Eva (OC), Clint/Natasha, tiny bit of May/Coulson and Fitz/Simmons but only subtly.**

CHAPTER ONE

"Morning, Xoe," my ever-faithful assistant Eva greeted me.

"Morning, Eve," I replied with a grin.

"There's a man in your office. He says that his team needs your help with something." I nodded my head and entered my office.

After graduating from the SHIELD Sci-Tech Academy, I learned basic field skills during two years in Ops. I worked as a field doctor for a little while until my entire team was murdered in an explosion. Now I do paperwork at a desk somewhere in D.C.

When I arrived at my office, I was greeted by a tall man. He stood and held his hand out to me.

"Agent Triplett."

"Agent Masters."

"My team needs your medical assistance, as it would be dangerous to land. Our base was blown up, and we're on the run from Hydra's sleeper agents," he informed me as I sat in my swivel chair.

I wanted to say no—I mean, by agreeing, I would be already dead. But the pull of the life as a doctor was too strong. Too familiar—too right.  
"If you would accompany me to my apartment to grab my things, and my assistant could come, I would be happy to."

Three hours later, Eva and I were on the Bus, which turned out to be a giant plane.

Eva, who always had a thing with computers, was in a deep conversation with a level one tech specialist and a level five engineer genius about coding. Simmons and I were properly wrapping May's gunshot wound.

"Two years with people that had muscles in their skulls in place of brains?" Simmons asked. "Awful."

"It was kind of scary," I joked as I tightened the bandage. "Okay, you're good," I told May, who nodded and left.

"I can show you to your bunks, if you want," Skye offered when the conversation lulled.

"Awesome!" Eva squealed. Although she was more organized, she was definitely more excitable than me. At just twenty-three, she was kind of naïve to the dangers of S.H.I.E.L.D.

We were led down the hall outside the lab and into these adorable gray rooms with just enough space for a bed and a table, with small shelves on the walls.  
I put my duffel bag on the bed and lifted up the sheets to reveal drawers.

I unpacked my clothes first, followed by three pairs of shoes—flats, combat boots, and running shoes.

Then, I removed the few personal items I brought with me—a tiny teddy bear the size of my fist, a few books, my laptop and phone, and my cheap set of Avengers bobble heads.

Next door, Eve was color-coordinating her outfits and rolling them into bundles. No matter how crazy her mind was, she was always very organized and prepared.  
Skye came by and knocked on the side of the open doorway. I smiled and she sat down on the bed.

"Hey," she said.

"Hi."

"So, Coulson says he called for backup and that they'll be here in the morning. So, you know, don't come out here naked or anything."

I laughed. "I will try not to make it a habit."

"So, our team is made up of May, our resident kick-ass woman, Coulson, who I call AC, but whatever. FitzSimmons, who you met, and our other guy is delivering the leader of a terrorist group to the Fridge. His name is Ward." She blushed. "Triplett is helping out for a little while but I don't know if he's staying."

"What's with you and Ward?" I asked.

"He's my S.O."

"And…?"

"Nothing."

"C'mon. I'm trained to know body language. What's up?"

"Well," she began before launching into a story of her life with S.H.I.E.L.D.

*  
"So because of a siren that had previously seduced Thor, Coulson and May and Simmons found out that he liked you, Simmons told you, he was about to die, so you kissed him? Seriously?" She nodded. "I wish my love life was as exciting as yours."

"What is your love life?"

"I flirt with my gay friend—I mean, not with him. We scope out guys together."

"Cool."

"Yeah. He does Ops and stuff." My stomach growled. "I'm hungry."

"Me too." We went into the kitchenette to find FitzSimmons eating sandwiches and Triplett eating a slice of frozen pizza.

Skye opened the fridge for me and removed a frozen…deep-fried mac 'n' cheese package.

"You both have training tomorrow at six. Every minute late is a set of push-ups. Ward's orders." Triplett said.

"Training for what?" I asked.

"Field work."

"I know how to fight." He stared at me.

"Downstairs in an hour. Let's see how well you can fight."

Thanks to Skye's generosity, I was able to borrow a sports bra and a pair of sweatpants. Because my legs were slightly longer than hers, the pants looked more like capris, but whatever.

I had just finished stretching and warming up when Triplett entered. We both sized each other up. I narrowed my eyes and threw a fake punch to the left, pulling back at the last second and throwing a real punch to his right cheek. He tensed his jaw and I kneed him in the gut before kicking his feet out from under him and pinning him.

He rolled me over so that he was crushing me with his weight and I jabbed his nose. I then hit the pressure point in his neck and elbowed his ribs.  
"Okay, I'll give you this, you know some okay hand-to-hand, but you gotta know range too," he informed me. "You can go if you want." I nodded and headed up the stairs.

**A/N: If this was awful, let me know if I should continue. Reviews are appreciated!**


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

I got bored watching Skye play Battleship with Trip, again, on Ward's orders, so I ditched.

I somehow ended up in the lab with Simmons. First, we discussed how to create a night-night—sorry, ICER that was as effective and safe as the original, but more condensed so as to create a smaller, lighter weapon. Then, we talked about the Avengers.

"I don't know if I could pick just one—they're all so pretty!" I giggled.

"I don't know either. I like Dr. Banner because of all his significance in science," she stated.

"I think that I like Captain America. I met him once when I was working as a doctor before and he's…well built. And he's not snarky like Clint or egotistical like Tony. Natasha just scares the shit out of me and Bruce is anti-social."

We then talked about Fitz and Trip because they were the only men we both knew, besides Coulson, and he was old enough to be my dad, so yeah.

"What about Fitz?"

"Nothing," she answered quickly before fiddling with her thumbs and checking a microscope that held an empty slide. _Good cover_.

"Wow. You are even worse than Eva when it comes to lying. And I didn't even think it possible." She looked up from her thumbs.

"It's just that, he's been expressing interest in me, I think."

"You know how to manipulate gravitonium, but you aren't sure if a guy is into you?" I teased.

"I don't know," she shrugged helplessly. I raised both my hands in defeat.

"Fine, fine. I won't push," I promised.

I let Jemma get to bed, but I wasn't exactly tired with all the adrenaline pumping through my veins. Back in the field. Back in the field. On the way to my bunk, I ran head-on into Fitz. We mumbled out apologies and walked on, me towards my bunk. I figured that I could read or watch a movie or something until I got tired. He seemed to be heading towards the kitchen, so I switched directions and followed him silently. Then, I sat at the bar and watched as he poured a glass of water. He turned around and saw me, screaming shrilly and dropping his glass. It shattered.

"Bloody hell!" he cursed.

"You need to work on your attention skills," I snarked, and he glared at me as he picked up the shards of glass littering the floor. I leaned against the counter as he swept the broken glass up. "So, can you tell me anything about the backup team coming tomorrow?" I asked him and he shook his head.

"Above my clearance. I can't know until we get to 10,000 feet."

"That sucks. I'm level nine, it shouldn't even be above me, but I guess the agents can't have clearance when they lack something to be an agent of."

"I guess." He threw the shards into the garbage can and looked at me across the counter. "So, where were you during the Battle of New York?"

"I was working as in an office building, far, far, away in San Diego. Business trip. You?" "At the academy. In a nice, safe, classroom," he sighed.

"Lucky you," I commented. He nodded smugly. I rolled my eyes. "So, I keep hearing all these things about Mr. Ward, but I have no idea who he is. Details, Mister!"

So, after a long, detailed discussion about Agent Grant Ward, his habits, nicknames, and opinions, we talked about—surprise! The Avengers.

"They're all thick skulled monstrosities," Fitz said once I brought them up.

"But they're sexy monstrosities!" I laughed.

"Sexy? No way. I am

the only sexy thing that has ever happened." He struck a totally wrong-looking pose.

"Nuh-uh!" I argued.

"Geez. You're like the perfect mix of Skye and Jemma. You're smart like Jemma, but you're funny, like Skye. I mean, here we are, flying around in a plane running from everything we've even known, yet we manage to discuss sexy levels on the Avengers."

"I did a lot of trauma stuff before. It was kind of my job to stay calm. And Simmons is so much smarter than me even though I'm three years older than her. My job is to assist her, not the other way around. She's the doctor here, so I have to respect her job as the authority," I told him, because it was true.

"Well then. I can stop thinking of campaign slogans for her, now that there isn't going to be an election. Very few things rhyme with Simmons."

I laughed, but then was silent. "I can't believe S.H.I.E.L.D. was compromised. It just seems so unreal that they've been here, growing under our noses this entire time. I mean, some people that I've trusted for years—people I was in the Academy with, are trying to kill everyone. Everything we've ever known has been a lie."

"It's crazy."

"That seems like an appropriate word, don't you think?"

"I mean, why would Hydra decide to reveal itself now?"

"Yeah, I mean, 'Out of the shadows, into the light.' But why come into the light so soon?"

"Exactly! Everything was going so well for them, why choose to ruin it now? Not that I wish they would've stayed hidden, but, I don't get it."

"Maybe this was their way of having the element of surprise."

"I guess that could be possible. It definitely worked if that was the idea."

I sat in my bunk, fiddling with the arms of my teddy bear. He was battered and worn from the time he spent attached to my key chain while in the field. Eventually, I sighed and lay down to sleep. As soon as my eyes shut, the images came flowing back. How Richard's body had gone flying like a ragdoll, limp and lifeless. How Kate's face had looked raw, with the skin peeling off and the blood boiling around her face. How Maddie had been pregnant without knowing and how Marcos had a wife and kids at home. How all of them had gone flying back by an unseen force, with nothing but the fire in their wake. I remember how I threw everything to the side but I couldn't save them. Because if I could have, maybe I could have stayed in the field enough to fight Hydra.

But then again, maybe I would have lived long enough to see them all turn on me, because of which side my loyalty laid.

**A/N: Sorry this one was so short. **

**One review for an update? **


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thanks to aussieKayz for reviewing. It means a lot to me and I'm really glad you like it! **

CHAPTER THREE

After a long night, I finally felt tired—when it was time to get my ass up, of course.

I hauled myself out of bed and released my braid, letting the waves of hair fan out around me. I found that braids were a good thing to do with your hair in the field. It kept it out of the way and from getting too tangled because honestly, I could never focus if my hair was like a rat's nest.

I slipped into my running shoes and workout clothes before heading down to the cargo hold/gym.

After my workout, I went to the kitchen where FitzSimmons and Skye were eating. I grabbed a bagel and lathered on the cream cheese before hopping in the shower.

I came out in my S.H.I.E.L.D. tee-shirt and loose jeans.

"They're here!" Skye whispered gleefully to me, and I wrapped an arm around her.

"I wonder who they—holy shit. Is that—"

"Ironman?" she finished for me.

The possible Ironman turned to see us gaping and winked.

"Hey, is that—" Eva asked as she passed by.

"Yup," Skye answered.

"Awesome. I dare you to go introduce yourself, Xo."

"Fine," I said as I turned to her. "If I do, I get fifty bucks."

"Deal." We shook hands. I strode into the lab and pulled the microscope out of his hand.

"Hello, Mr. Stark. My name is Xoe and I'm the assistant medical expert on this plane."

He stared at me.

"Okay, let me try again. Hi! You're Ironman, right? I'm like, your biggest fan in the world! Would you sign my hand?" I faked ditziness. He smiled.

"Of course." He produced a Sharpie and wrote "The Amazing Ironman loves you too!" in big letters. I rolled my eyes.

"That, was a joke. As awesome as you are, this," I held up my hand, "was a little much."

"You know, I see tons of potential in this room. It's bland, dull, even."

"I wouldn't mess with FitzSimmons's lab."

"Who is this Fitzsimmons? I need to talk to the guy." As if on cue, the two of them entered.

"Those, are FitzSimmons," I said, pointing to the pair of properly dressed geniuses. "So you're our backup team?"

"Not just me. The whole crew is here."

"Crew?"

"You know—Mr. Stars and Stripes, Smash, Bulls-eye, Fake-God, and Widow."

"The Avengers?"

"If you wanna go by the more popular name."

"Oh my God." I ran out of the lab and spilled the news to Skye and Eva. We all stood gabbing loudly until Coulson cleared his throat behind us. We all turned to him.

"I need Xoe and FitzSimmons in my office. Now." I followed him upstairs, two scientists scurrying behind me.

When we arrived in his office, he shut the door and sat down. "We had received some…interesting news. There—there's been another traitor. Someone we knew." He looked pointedly at us. "It's Ward."

"What?" Simmons gasped. I looked at her, in shock, before going back to my superior.

"We've found out where he is, and when we get there, we're going to take him in for custody. We have to disconnect ourselves from S.H.I.E.L.D. first though, so Fitz, get on that. Simmons, I would like you to accompany Xoe in telling Skye about…Ward."

"Yes, sir." Simmons answered and we all left to do our various tasks. She and I headed towards the lab, where Tony and she were messing around. Simmons rolled her eyes before focusing on the task at hand.

"Can we talk to you, Skye? Please?"

"That sounds serious." I sent her a sympathetic look before we headed to Skye's bunk.

"S.H.I.E.L.D. has been betrayed again," Simmons began, before turning it over to me. I sat next to her on the bed.

"I'm so sorry, Skye. It—it's Ward." Her face registered my message and her eyes went wide.

"I—I need a moment." She ran into the bathroom and shut the door. Simmons and I heard her on her phone. "Grant? Grant, what's going on? Everyone says that you're a traitor. Please tell me it's not true. Please. Please, Grant." She inhaled sharply. "Was it all a lie? Was it a lie when you said that you cared about me? When you wanted to protect me? From what, Ward? What the hell were you protecting me from, Ward? That's bullshit. You know who you should have protected me from? Yourself. Go to hell, or better yet, let me put you there. [long pause] Fuck you, Ward. And stay away from my family."

I heard her throw something across the room, her phone. Simmons was about to go in, but May appeared out of nowhere and put a hand on her shoulder before sending us away. I saw Skye collapse into her arms, sobbing as May wrapped her arms around her.

I was going to strangle Tony. Here's what happened.

After the incident with Skye, I found Tony in the lab, poking and prodding Dr. Banner, who then got riled up and burst into the cargo hold, using his fist to make me fly across the room before May shot him repeatedly with an ICER. I was now suffering from a broken nose, but shockingly, no concussion. I did, however, have an intense headache.

Simmons needed someone to watch over me. No way was Bruce or Tony coming near me, Coulson was busy with Sam (or Falcon, depending on how well you knew him), May had to fly the plane, Simmons was monitoring Bruce, Fitz was fixing the plane, Skye was a mess, Thor couldn't even fit into my bunk, and Natasha and Barton were working on something covert, so that left me with Steve.

Being the huge hero and all, he insisted on carrying me to my bunk. I swear. It was a head injury, not a broken leg.

Once we were there, he put me in the bed and grabbed a chair from the kitchen, and watched me sleep for an hour.

When I woke up, he was messing around with my phone, holding it with two fingers in disgust, like it was going to eat him.

"What's up?" I asked, and finger-combed my dark brown hair.

"I just don't get the appeal."

"Care to specify?"

"Of phones, I mean."

"I don't either. I use my laptop for most things, it's just that phones are more portable and you can call people on them."

"What is this?" he held up my Thor bobblehead. I explained it to him, but he looked just as confused. I opened my phone to see the music open. Scrolling down, I found some Jack White music and played it. "What is that?"

"I thought you liked freedom and stuff. "Freedom at 21" by Jack White. He's a legend—even better than Thor."

"I guess I put it on the list."

"The list? Let me see this list!" He handed me a tiny notebook that I flipped through before adding some stuff. "So, it must suck missing 70 years. The clothes got so much worse. But human rights did improve. No more, Nazis, no more Hitler—a lot of wannabes though."

"Yeah, I guess."

"Well, I'm good, so—"

"No. You have to stay here, doctor's orders."

"Um, a, I am a doctor, and b, it's a broken nose. I can walk and stuff, I just—" he held a mirror in front of my face. "See? At least let me go to the bathroom and clean it!" He sighed and let me move. "Thank you," I mock bowed.

I went to the bathroom and scrubbed the blood off of my face, which made me look a lot better, not to mention healthier. I brushed my hair and re-braided it before putting on some chapstick and smoothing down my shirt.

When I exited the bathroom, Steve was standing there. "Were you waiting out here the whole time?" I asked. He shrugged. Simmons walked by.

"Um, Tony and Skye made dinner. Odd, since we never eat together, but Coulson set up the table and the couch so we could all eat together, so…" she said, looking uncomfortable.

"We'll be there," I told her, putting an arm on her shoulder.

We were, and let me tell you. If you think that your family dinners are awkward, you have no idea what this was like.

So imagine this, a man-child billionaire, a guy with _wings_, a pair of geniuses that are most likely into each other, a heartbroken young woman, a guy that you don't wanna piss off, a god, a man born in 1918 but frozen for 70 years, a duo of assassins, a man who was recently resurrected, my assistant, a specialist, and the Cavalry all sitting around a table eating…whatever it is that Tony and Skye made.

Now add in bickering.

Thor, Steve, Tony, and Bruce were engrossed in an argument about maturity—most likely sparked by Tony's lack thereof. Coulson and FitzSimmons were talking about science and battle efficiency and shit, May was half-listening as Eva enthralled Skye with the story about her most recent date.

"Would you grow up?" Steve asked Tony.

"You mean like you, senior citizen?" he fired back. I got a plate of pasta and sat in between them, flashing an innocent grin in Steve's direction. They both backed off.

"…and then he made me go to his diving tournament! I mean, seriously. The speedos made me want to gouge my eyes out with my heels, and then get Xoe to study them. It burned! So bad! So much pain!" Eva told with an extra dash of over-dramatic. I giggled a little before putting the strange casserole into my mouth. It was surprisingly good. I ate more until an argument started between May and Coulson about battle plans. Coulson told May not to question authority, May said she hadn't been and that had gotten them to flying around so that they wouldn't be discovered by the people they once followed.

"Where is the authority, Phil?" she yelled.

"I am the leader of this team, I am the authority!" Then they stormed off in their separate directions. Tony cracked a joke, Banner and Thor remained silent, Skye looked concerned, Eva looked at me for the answers (kind of like a little sister), Steve excused himself, FitzSimmons squirmed awkwardly, and Barton and Natasha rolled their eyes.

I got up and headed for my bunk. My head had started to hurt again and honestly, for the first time in years, I wanted to sleep.

**A/N: Two reviews for an update? **


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Okay, okay. I caved. I know I said two reviews until an update, but...I have no excuse. But please please please review this one?**

CHAPTER FOUR

In the crowded briefing room, Coulson explained the plan for the HYDRA base. Ever since two fugitives for Project Centipede had escaped—the one that shot Skye and the one that kidnapped Coulson.

"We're gonna split into pairs and each team will have a separate job to accomplish. Xoe, stick with Skye. You guys are in charge of taking Ward into custody." Excuse me? Either Coulson was really stupid or he was using Skye's emotions as momentum for the attack. Most likely the latter. "May, you stick with Simmons. I want Simmons into their lab and I want samples of everything. Sample it then destroy the rest. May, you need to guard her. I'll stick with Fitz and we'll get the security system offline, then take whatever seems useful. Triplett, I want you to stick here and guard the plane with, um, Eva. Barton and Romanoff, you will take out as many soldiers as possible with the rest of your team. Just, dispose of as many as you can. We're going to circle the earth once before landing in an airfield that Tony owns. From there we take a small jet to the base. I want everyone trained with field competencies and first aid."

"Xoe, come here!" Simmons said excitedly, waving me over into the lab. "So, Fitz and I have designed this," she showed me a small plastic briefcase, about eight inches by six. "It has everything a standard emergency kit has. Here's the list of items inside. The box is resistant to air pressure and gravity so it's a lot lighter than a normal box."

I looked at the checklist—latex gloves, flashlight, canvas gloves, radios, batteries, ice/heat packs, gas and dust masks, plastic drop cloth, scissors, breathing barrier, cloth tape, roller bandages, band-aids, triangular bandages, tweezers, emergency ponchos, thermometers, pain-killers, survival blankets, absorbent compress, gauze pads, hydrocortisone ointment, wipes, ointment, and a pocket knife.

"We've made one for each team, and Coulson suggests we use them to demonstrate during the seminar he wants us to have in an hour. In the afternoon, we get to learn combat. Yay." She rolled her eyes. "Our IQs both qualify as genius, for God's sake."

"Don't worry, Jem. I'm sure it'll be fine," Fitz assured her.

"Wear gloves when touching someone's body fluids—and Tony I swear to God, another crack about genitals and I will rip your heart out," I said at the "seminar." "Use latex gloves for that, but to touch any surface that is too hot to touch with bare hands or could cut you, wear the canvas gloves. Radios if someone has been seriously injured. Ice and heat injuries." Simmons went on to explain which injuries to ice and which injuries to heat. "Dust masks for dust, gas masks for gas."

Simmons explained how to treat or help certain injuries—being shot, being stabbed, broken limbs, concussion. "Wrap it firmly, the pressure will help."  
"Pain killers for anything that involves blood except paper cuts," I reminded. We then passed the boxes out to each team.

I'm pretty sure that Jemma was elated, because Fitz was doing awful at combat, but good at range. She was vice-versa. She was currently kicking Trip's ass with some unorthodox move, but she knew anatomy and weak points very well. She wasn't really strong, not at all, but she knew what a human's limits were.  
Fitz was getting his ass kicked by May, as his nose was bleeding and his eye was purple. Steve was working on punching with Eva. He was holding the bag, even though it wasn't moving at all. Romanoff was teaching me how to escape from headlocks and other forms of…being trapped. I was doing okay, but obviously not as good as her because this was like, the eight time I landed on my back out of ten.

In range, we all failed except for May, Fitz, Barton and Romanoff. They were doing good. May, Barton, and Romanoff because they were May, Barton, and Romanoff, and Fitz because he designed weapons. I kept hitting it off center. I had no consistency besides that.

Finally, Barton just came up behind me, held my arms, and shot for me. "It's not that hard, Masters."

"Damn you, Barton!" I said, turning to the target and shooting its neck.

"That was a good shot, but honestly, your stance is terrible. Your shoulders need to be square and you should be prepared for recoil. You keep losing your balance." I took his advice. "Okay, everyone. Now, I would like you to try shooting with the ICER."

The ICER was easier to shoot. It was a lot lighter and the recoil was a lot weaker.  
Even Simmons was doing well. Natasha came by and stepped on her foot, moving it and adjusting her shoulders. She hit it dead center.

After training, Simmons and I did physicals of everyone on the Bus. We split them in half like team captains.

"I want Fitz and Banner. And Skye, because I really think she needs a friend right now." I almost pointed out that I was her friend too, but shut my mouth because I had known her for two days while Simmons knew her for months in a row.

"Okay. I'm fine with whoever."

"I've been monitoring Coulson so far, so I can do his. Please take Stark's. He's…disturbing." We continued on like this until it became her with Skye, Banner, Coulson, May, Trip, and Fitz. Lucky me. I got the man-child, the "god", the senior citizen, and the assassins. Fun.  
I found myself for the first time to be nervous around a patient. I didn't know why, because I wasn't the one sharing information about my body with a stranger. Sort of stranger.

Simmons had set up a curtain in two of the lab's corners. I entered to see Romanoff sitting on the table, swinging her legs back and forth and her fiery hair in a ponytail.

I made completed the physical in a professional manner, not acting as a fangirl or a wannabe or anything. Just as a doctor.  
I knew a doctor that wasn't like that at all. Erwig or something like that. He kept undressing me with his eyes, until I called up Fury and demanded that he be fired for sexual harassment.

Let me tell you, doing a physical on Thor—not as fun as it sounds. I had no idea how an Asgardian's anatomy worked. I actually had to pull Simmons away from Coulson to get her to answer some of my questions.

"Thank you, lady doctor," Thor said as he ducked out.

"Thor?"

"Yes, lady doctor?"

"I'm just a doctor. Lady doctor sounds anti-feminist. So you can call me Xoe, or Masters, or doctor, but not lady doctor, okay?"

"Okay…doctor."

"Thank you."

Steve's physical was easy enough. Or at least, easier than Thor's.

"When was the last time you slept for at least eight hours?" I asked him. He shrugged.

"When I was asleep for 70 years?" he said, more of a question than an answer.

"Touché. But if you begin to experience fatigue, or dizziness, you're gonna need to take a nap. You can't punch away all your problems," I said with a half-smile.

"Noted, ma'am," he said.

"You can call me Xoe if you want." He nodded but left.

I left for a few minutes to go wash my hands. When I came back, Tony was sitting on the table, holding up my stethoscope.

"Wanna play doctor?" he smiled.

"I am a doctor." I pretended to be insulted. "And don't you have a girlfriend?"

The fact that every question was answered with a sexual innuendo didn't help, but forty minutes later, we were done and Barton got sent in.

That I finished rather quickly, because he had one helluva stare.

My last one was Eva. She was healthy, and we talked during the whole thing, making it far less awkward than any of her predecessors.

"How was Thor's?" she asked with a suggestive look on her face. I groaned.

"I felt totally clueless! I didn't know anything!" I whined. She giggled.

"Well I would have—" She was cut off by Coulson over the PA.

"Tony, please stop harassing FitzSimmons."

"I would love to hear that story," Eva sighed dreamily. I swatted her.

"You're done. Out!" I mock-scolded. She pouted but swung open the curtain and left.

Again, I had the nightmares. I woke up screaming, but someone put a hand over my mouth. I elbowed the intruder in the ribs, but he just laughed. I reached up and flicked on the light to find Steve standing there.

"You have a really loud scream." I pried his hand off my mouth and took in air. Then I flipped him off.

"Where were you when it started?"

"The gym."

"Seriously? It's like two in the morning."

"I slept for 70 years."

"What's another eight hours?"

"Not a morning person?"

"Not a daytime person. Go away, I need to sleep!" I whined, pulling a pillow over my head.

"Wanna talk about it?"

"Wanna tell me about your life in the army? About having to fight your best friend?" His eyes clouded over. "Sorry, I'm a bitch before five a.m. Actually, I'm a bitch all the time."

"It—its fine. I get it." I ran a hand through my hair and sighed.

"My whole team was killed in front of me. One of them was pregnant, and I just—I couldn't save them all. I tried really hard but I couldn't save all of them." He nodded.

"I sort of get it. In the army, you watch your men—your friends, die all the time. You can't help them without dying yourself." I nodded. "I'll let you sleep."

"Goodnight, Steve."

"Goodnight, Xoe."

**A/N: I'm gonna be greedy here, but here it goes. Three reviews?**


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE

I'm gonna be totally honest here, but I love field gear. Is that weird? Maybe. But it always just felt right.

So, as I slipped into the black bodysuit and bulletproof vest, I admired my reflection. My hair was in a French braid down my back, and I was armed with two ICERS and a real gun. I zipped up my black boots and headed down to the cargo hold.

"Xoe! Wait!" Eva called. I whipped around and she threw her arms around me. "Good luck, okay?"

"Thank you. I'll be fine," I assured her, even though I wasn't so sure myself.

"Okay. We'll have a party when you get back."

"I'm sure you will." She threw her arms around me again.

"Good luck," she whispered again and I pulled away.

"You too."

XxXxXxXxX

The jet was small. May was navigating to a forest conveniently located near the base. I was sandwiched between a determined looking Skye and a blank-faced Steve.

"Wheels down in five," May said. Steve turned to me, and spoke in a quiet voice.

"Do something for me?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't die."

"I was planning on doing that for myself, but I could do it for you too, you know, if you wanted," I joked. The faintest hint of a smile played on his features, but was stopped by the sharp descend of the plane. I looked at Skye.

"Ready?"

"Besides the fact that my boobs feel suffocated, yes." I laughed at her reply. She was wearing the same apparel as me, but her hair was pulled into a high ponytail.

There was a rumble, and then the plane went still.

"We're here."

*********  
We split up, and now, Skye and I were creeping around the ceiling beams of the underground building. I scooted along and sat down, observing the scene of Hydra soldiers marching around. Skye looked around and took out a zoom lens, looking around until she saw Ward going into a room off to the side. She pointed to him so I could see. We both moved farther down, dropping in the doorway of the room and entering. Skye drew her gun and I kicked the door closed.  
Ward, who was as attractive as previously described, swung around so I could get a clear look at his face. He had brown eyes and a muscled face. He immediately raised his hands when he saw four guns aimed at him. We each had one in each hand.

"Skye?" he exclaimed.

"Ward," she snapped bitterly. He moved to come towards her but she flicked the safety on her gun off. "Don't move. I will shoot you." He shook his head.

"I know you, Skye. I know that you can't shoot me."

"Sometimes, the people we think we know have been lying to us."

"Fine, shoot me, Skye," he dared, putting his hands in the air. She started taking in rapid, uneven breaths. She reset her stance and inhaled, placing her finger on the trigger before repeating the process again.

"I can't."

"See, Skye? Now put the gun—" he was cut off by a shot firing.

"Sorry, Ward. Skye might not be able to shoot you, but that doesn't mean that I can't." I lowered my ICER. "Radio Tony. Ask him to get Ward on the jet." I shot him twice for good measure.

"Tony? I need you to help us. We have a situation."

XxXxXxXxX

I have to say, running around with two guns and shooting anybody you see, that is pretty fun. I put away my ICERs and took out the real guns, ignoring the metallic smell of blood.

Skye was just as badass as I expected, mercilessly shooting the Hydra agents. I kicked one in the head and then smashed him into a doorway.

We shot and shot until they were all dead, even Fitz beating the shit out of some of them. Simmons especially, she fought alongside Natasha, while keeping her sleek metal case that contained the samples.

We ran once they were all gone, and I laughed maniacally as Tony carried Ward's unconscious body. I was about to get out, but suddenly, a single shot fired, hitting me in the right forearm.

"Shit!" I cursed. I flipped around and shot my victim in the neck. He fell to the ground, dead. I gripped my arm and wrapped one arm tightly around it. Skye had the first aid kit in her backpack, so I couldn't get a bandage to wrap it. I kept running until I felt a ripping sound in my ankle.

"Fuck! Does everyone hate me today?" I muttered, the pain murderously shooting through my body. I ran until I was one-hundred steps from the plane.

Ninety. Ten more steps.

Eighty. Ten more steps.

Seventy. Ten more steps.

Sixty. Ten more steps.

Fifty. Ten more steps.

Forty. Ten more steps.

Thirty. Ten more steps.

Twenty. Ten more steps.

Ten. Just ten more steps.

Nine.

Eight.

Seven. An explosion went off behind me.

Six.

Five. Almost there.

Four.

Three. The engines started.

Two.

One.

Bingo.

**A/N: This chapter was so short that I'm not gonna ask for reviews, since the next one will be up in like two minutes.**


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER SIX

_Beep. Beep. _

I sat up abruptly, causing the beeping to be more like beepbeepbeeping. Simmons rushed in and tilted her head back in relief.

"Oh thank God. You've been asleep for a few hours. Your ulna _and _radius were fractured by the bullet. We set your arm and your ankle in casts, and are you and Captain together?"

"Um, not of my knowledge. Why?"

"He's sitting outside looking like someone took away his shield."

"Good analogy."

"Thanks. Fitz came up with it, actually. Um, since your arm is fine, you should be okay to get up. You need crutches though."

"That's cool. Think of how many ways you could beat someone with crutches." I smiled.

"That is _quite_ a thought," she nodded before handing me the crutches.

I walked out of the lab and onto the cargo hold, my feet heavy on the ground. Steve popped out of nowhere.

"What happened?" he asked, walking beside me. I noticed that he was still in his Captain America uniform.

"I got shot and tore a ligament in my ankle," I answered breezily. "You think you could help me get up the stairs?"

"Oh, yeah. Here." I put an arm around his shoulders and he lifted me up a little until we reached the top. We stared at each other, awkwardly.

"Okay, well, um, I'm gonna go change," I said, pointing behind me. "Uh yeah. Bye."

***************  
When I had taken off the black suit, I changed into a pair of black leggings, a pleated skirt, and a white blouse, rebrushed and braided my hair, and washed my face.

I was coming out of my bunk when I heard the yelling.

"No _way_ are you going anywhere near him!" Fitz yelled.

"Fitz, maybe I can get him to talk. Please," Skye cried.

"No. Fitz is right. You won't be going anywhere near him," Coulson agreed.

"What are we talking about?" I asked, interrupting their argument.

"Who's going to interrogate Ward."

"What about me?" I suggested. "I have no emotional connection to him, and I can guilt him without seeming pathetic. You all have a relationship with him. He has baggage. I think that I can get more answers out of him."

"She's right," Fitz said supportively.

"What if we…" Skye began.

"What if we what?"

"Okay. Here's the plan."

XxXxXxXxX

"Good evening, Mr. Ward. I'm Xoe Masters. I shot you earlier today." I said as I entered the blue interrogation room.

"I remember."

"Good times, am I right?"

He grunted.

"Okay. Here's how this is gonna work. I have a series of questions to ask, and you're answer. You're gonna be a good little traitor and talk. Should you not, I will apply my own methods or force until you do. Should you still fail to talk, we will cycle through every person on this plane—"

"Even Skye?"

"No, hun. She's not your biggest fan at the moment. Now, as I was saying, every person on this plane will use their methods to get you to talk. Should you _still _fail to talk, well, then we use the truth serum. I recommend that you answer, Mr. Ward, because I will break you." I met his eyes with a sharp glare. "Where does your loyalty lie?"

Silence.

"I will repeat myself. Where does your loyalty lie?"

More silence.

"Okay, fine. Next question. Did you give SHIELD intel to Hydra? Where's the hard drive?"

"I gave it to them, but Skye protected it."

"Good boy. How long were you loyal to Hydra?"

Silence.

"See, now it's time for me to use force." He laughed out loud.

"What are you gonna do? _Hit me?_"

"I have my ways," I assured him with a murderous smile. "Would you like to hear the statements your team made when they heard that you _betrayed _them? Because I would love to tell you."

He shut his eyes tight, like it would go away if he couldn't see it.

"Okay. Leopold Fitz. 'I just can't believe he would do something like that to us—to Skye especially. He hurt her. He's gonna pay for that. She cared about him and he broke her. She deserved so much more than that [explicative]." I looked up at him. "Jemma Simmons: 'Ward, he did a lot for this team. It's unreal that he would turn on us so quickly. That he would just, want to destroy us, just like that.' Had enough yet?"

He set his jaw. "Fine, I'll continue if you insist. Melinda May. Hers was pretty short, actually. 'He'll pay.' Scary, huh? Phil Coulson: 'Ward was one of our best agents—I had no idea that he was one of our worst too. I believe that at some point, he was loyal to us, but his loyalty to Garett was just stronger.' And finally, Skye."

I walked by the chair he was cuffed to, stopping to reshuffle my papers. " 'As my S.O., Grant…I mean Ward, taught me a lot. He taught me strength, endurance, but that was all physical. He never taught me mental strength. He taught me a lot, but what I really learned was to never trust people. Because seeing is deceiving. Grant Ward never taught me what to do when you lose something. I've already lost a lot. I didn't need to lose him too, but I did. And he never taught me what to do when you're so _numb_ that your head hurts. He never taught me what to do when you are so mad that you can't see straight. He never taught me what to do when someone stabs you in the back, figuratively of course. He taught me how to avoid the literal version. But he lied to me. He lied to his team, and I hate him for that.'"

He leaned his head back and stared at the ceiling. "It kind of sucks, doesn't it?" I asked him. "Wanna talk about it?" he opened one eye, but closed it again. "Fine. I have one more idea for how to make you." I removed a knife from my belt and stabbed it into the table between his thumb and index finger. His eyes snapped open. "Will you talk to me?" He shook his head.

"No."

"Fine, send Tony in."

Tony was probably the nicest. He slapped Ward repeatedly and then pointed and laughed. Clint made him stand by the wall while he shot arrows at the area around his head. Romanoff use physical strength, as did Thor, May, and Steve.

Coulson lectured, FitzSimmons told him how much he had hurt Skye, Banner simply said, "Don't piss me off." Skye and I were watching as he was beaten.

"Do me a favor?" she asked.

"Yeah?"

"Ask him if he really cared about me?"

"Of course."

XxXxXxXxX

"So, Mr. Ward. Ready to talk?"

"I only want to talk to her," he sputtered, coughing up a little blood.

"Spoiler alert, Mr. Ward, but you hurt her. _Bad._ But I do have a message from her."

"What?"

"She wants to know if you ever really cared about her."

"Absolutely."

"I'm sorry to do this, but here we go." Then I plunged the truth serum into his arm. "Who are you loyal to? SHIELD or Hydra?"

"Neither."

"Why not?"

"Well isn't SHIELD filled with Hydra now? Aren't we the only real agents left?"

"I wouldn't say only. How long have you been loyal to Hydra?"

"I'm not."

"Do you care about Skye?"

"Yes."

"Why did you join Hydra?"

"I never did. It was a double-cross. Victoria Hand told me to."

"Where is she now?"

"I shot her."

"Why?"

"She told me to. It was the whole plan. I would get Hydra info."

"Okay. That's it for me. We're done here." I opened the door and left.

**A/N: Okay, new rule. An update costs three reviews, even if each just says "purple" or "hat" or "puppy." Just something. **

**Thanks to aussieKayz, Guest, beautifulbeast, lucy, and Wardlver for supporting me with you reviews. It means a ton! If you want soememething to happen, let me know and I'll try to work it in for you!**

**-Opal**


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER SEVEN

Coulson reevaluated Ward and gave him back his level seven clearance after six billion phone calls and a full two weeks of healing. I felt kind of bad. I was supposed to be helping people, not hurting them.

"Hi, Agent Ward. I think we got off on the wrong foot. I'm really sorry about that by the way. I had no idea it was a double cross. But in my defense, you could have said something. I just wanted to do what you wanted to do, protect Skye. On that note, I will cease my blabbering. I'm Agent Masters." He quirked an eyebrow but took my waiting hand.

"Nice to…remeet you."

"You too." We walked along the hallway.

"So, um, I need my follow-up physical done and Simmons is busy right now, but…"

"Yeah. I got it. Be in the lab in twenty minutes."

"Okay, Ward. You're good. But hey, um, do me a favor?" I asked him.

"Yeah?"

"Fix things with Skye. If you hurt her again, I'm pretty sure that Tony would do a lot worse to you, probably something involving bullets." He looked down in shame before nodding.

"Yeah," he said softly, before walking away.

"Hey, Xoe! Come here!" Eva called. "Remember when I said we would throw a party?" she said as she burst into the lab doors. I was inputting the information about Ward's physical. "Well, so I talked to Trip, and he's actually a good cook, so we made a giant cake. Come into the lounge!" she gabbed excitedly before yanking my arm.

"But the—" I was cut off by the "party" music. An iPod was plugged in playing music, there was some pasta dish that Tony probably made, a cake that was, in fact, huge, and a bunch of superheroes hanging around the room. Let's just say that my clipboard wasn't the only thing that dropped.

In the middle of the room, Tony was dancing around, a bottle of beer in his hand as he did some…er…graphic moves in May's direction. "Holy shit."

"Yup. May's probably going to kick his ass later."

"Agreed." I picked up my clipboard and put it down on the table.

"You gotta dance, Masters. It's required," Tony demanded seriously.

"May's not dancing!" I protested, but he grabbed my arm and twirled me around. "Let go of me you sonofabitch!" I shrieked, fumbling with my crutches. He did let go of me, shoving me into Fitz's arms and grabbing Jemma. Fitz released me. "Sorry," I apologized.

"Dance with her, Poldy!" Tony yelled.

"It's Fitz, you…" he muttered some Scottish curse.

"Don't worry, I'm going now." I pushed him away and headed over to where Eva and Trip were talking.

"…dinner with me sometime," Trip was saying. I veered around and ran right into Steve.

"Hey, Cap," I greeted.

"Hi."

"This…is absolutely weird."

"Yes."

Skye emerged from the crowd of dancers and linked her arm through mine. She tugged me along and I mouthed _Help me! _to Steve before the Skye began doing a crazy attempt at ballroom dancing. She dipped me, but since I was like six inches taller than her, almost dropped me. She then gave up and spun herself. We did this for a little while until Ward pulled her away. She smiled at me brightly over his shoulder.

_Thank you. _

I smiled. _You're welcome. _

Clint was jokingly nudging Natasha who was rolling her eyes despite the smile on her face. Tony danced around her and threw a dizzy-looking Simmons into the crowd. Eva and Trip were actually dancing together. Or something. It looked like a sorry attempt at dancing, but who was I to judge? It's not like I was winning _Dancing With the Stars _or anything.

The next thing I knew, Tony had shoved Steve towards me and he ran into me.

"Sorry, I'll—I'm…yeah. Sorry." He ran a hand through his hair nervously.

"That's fine," I laughed.

"Wanna…I don't know. Dance?" I looked at the floor and smiled.

"Yeah. But I can't dance. Not really. And the torn ankle doesn't help much either."

"Okay. That's good. Neither can I."

"Cool."

And we danced.

That cake…I was gonna marry that cake. I think I ate half of it by myself. It was lemon and vanilla and just so beautiful that I wanted to cry.

Skye had downloaded an illegal version of _Kill Bill _and we were watching it. I was leaning against Steve's legs as I sat on floor in front of the couch. Skye, Ward, and FitzSimmons were all sitting next to me, along with Eva, who was sitting on Trip's lap.

"Oh…my. This is violent," Simmons remarked as blood sprayed around. Natasha had gotten into an argument with Coulson about whether or not it seemed real. May was trying to make them shut up.

I just laughed and turned to Skye who was sitting on Ward's lap, and he had an arm around her shoulders. I smiled at them before turning towards the screen and grimacing as yet another person died.

That night, the nightmares came again. Again, I woke up screaming, and again, Steve was there.

"You should put duct tape over your mouth so that you don't wake up people in the night," he informed me.

"Did I wake you up?" He quirked an eyebrow. "Right. I forgot. You don't do sleeping."

"Wanna talk?"

"Sure." I sat up and crossed my legs so he could sit on the bed. I stared at the door. "I just…it was Eva. She was...just, stabbed. Over and over, and I'm thinking, _What the hell? Why are you stabbing a dead body?_ But then I see that she has a Hydra tattoo on her arm, and everybody's going insane and nobody hears me and I was just…so lost."

He inhaled.

"Is that totally crazy?"

"No. I dream about Peggy a lot."

"Who's she?"

"She…we were…together. Before I crashed. She aged, I didn't. She got married…has a family."

"That…completely sucks. And I would love to say that I know what you're going through, but I don't. I have _no_ idea what it's like to miss seventy years but come out of it looking exactly the same. To lose everybody you loved. I have no idea what that's like."

"Yeah. Nobody does…not really."

"That must be rough."

"It is."

"Thank you, Steve."

"For what?"

"I don't know. Being here, I guess." I placed a kiss on his cheek. "Goodnight, Steve."

"G-goodnight, Xoe."

**A/N: This was short, but I needed a little bit of happy in this story so Xoe wouldn't kill herself. Also, would you let me know in a review if you hate Xoe...its fine if you do. I just wanna know. Thanks to aussieKayz, Sidney, and Lucy for reviewing the last chapter.**


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER EIGHT

"We've got a situation," Skye said, bursting into my room. She already had her field gear on and a gun in her hand.

"What?" I leapt out of bed, reaching for my own gun.

"There's a Hydra jet shooting at us. Combat suit, bulletproof vest, helmet," she instructed.

"Got it!" I slipped into the clothes quickly.

We ran out together, and I tossed a vest at Eva, who was panicking. "Put it on and stay here!" I yelled before joining Skye on the cargo hold. We buckled ourselves in to avoid falling off the plane and shot repeatedly.

"Bang!" Skye exclaimed once she hit a soldier, whose body fell out of the sky. I giggled and shot another one before watching as Fitz shot six in a row with, like, two bullets.

"Bloody traitors," he muttered angrily. Coulson and May came out of nowhere and shot people too.

Soon, it was Barton shooting arrows at them. And Tony in the suit punching them out of the sky. Ward came down and shot some more.

Everyone was armed. Besides when we were at Hydra headquarters, I didn't do a ton of shoot to kill missions. A soldier from the other side was about to shoot at me, but thanks to Steve, who sent his shield to whack her face, I was good. He released it like a Frisbee at the Hydra people, who in exchange used machine guns on us. He then hurled the damn thing in front of Romanoff to block a stream of bullets heading towards her.

"Xoe!" Coulson yelled. I got up and hobbled quickly to him.

"Yeah?" I panted.

"She was shot in the knee." He gestured to the girl he was helping stand, while she gripped the banister of the stairs so hard her knuckles turned white.

"I got it." I brought her into the lab and set her on the table. "Fitz!" I hollered into my radio. "Lab. Now."

"What's wr—oh God. Simmons!" he exclaimed.

"Her kneecap is fractured, definitely. We need to get the bullet out though." I need…" I gave him a list and he dashed around the lab, collecting the items.

I pried the bullet out of her leg, but the medicine had numbed the pain thank God. Fitz and I cleaned it, wrapped it, and set a cast so that it would heal.

"I have to stay here."

"No _way_, Fitz! You're better at shooting, better at field stuff, and I'm better at being a medic. You go out there and eliminate the enemy, and I will stay here and monitor her. Go!" I fired back. He sent a look at Jemma's unconscious body and left. I wiped away the blood on the rest of the table before propping her head up with a pillow.

"She needs medical attention!" Trip said, rushing May into the room.

"Put her on that table." I pointed to the silver item in the corner. "What happened?"

"She got stabbed in the thigh and the shoulder."

"Near any organs?"

"No, but man there's a lot of blood."

"Yeah. I kind of got that. Now go away!" I yelled as I grabbed bandages and pain killers from around the lab for May.

I had blocked the lab off and protected it with one of Fitz's guns. It shot everything that didn't have a registered face. If you didn't belong on the plane, you would be shot.

Eventually, Ward threw a grenade into the jet once it came close enough, and we were all saved when it crashed into the ocean with an explosion.

"Well that's going to be hard to explain," Coulson remarked as he looked at the wreckage.

"No kidding," Skye agreed. I turned back to the injured people in the lab and sighed.

"Okay. Who got hurt first?"

Once Simmons could begin to help me again, we were able to help everyone that came in.

It took us a few hours to recover. Dinner was silent for the people that weren't injured enough to stay in their bunks. And believe me. Quiet translates to awkward on the Bus.

An alarm went off, and my hand flew to my gun.

"It's just a video conference," Coulson assured us, and I put my hand back on my fork. "Briefing room in five," he said over the intercom a little while later. I cleared my dishes and headed over to the glass room and stared at the screen. A dead man stared back.

"Is that—"

"Yes."

"But isn't he—"

"No."

"But I just did like six-hundred forms about his death! You owe me a week." I jabbed a finger at the screen.

"I knew," Natasha piped up.

"Me too," Steve added.

"Yeah, I also did," Barton stated. I turned to Coulson.

"I also knew."

"Could everyone that knew this guy was alive raise their hands?" Coulson, Ward, and the Avengers (minus Tony) raised their hands. "What. The. Hell. I swear. You guys better be building a time machine so that I can have that week back."

"Ahem!" Director Fury said from the screen. I shot him a glare but turned to face him. "As you know, S.H.I.E.L.D. is in ashes. We've all been in hiding. Hill is working for Stark in Human Resources, Hand…is deceased. I've gotten another job. Coulson's team was supposed to be disappearing. The Avengers…were supposed to be off the grid," he shot a look at them, "but that's changed, apparently. Is anybody following my orders?"

"Sir, we killed the Clairvoyant. Got rid of tons of Hydra soldiers," Barton said. "And we know there are only a few S.H.I.E.L.D. bases that actually belong to S.H.I.E.L.D. anymore. We did what needed to be done."

"What needed to be done, was disappearing. So head to the Cube. I'll be there with Hill. We're going to rebuild. Or make plans to at least. Goodbye, Agent Coulson, and, er, team. Goodbye, uh, Avengers."

The screen went blank, but I still didn't look away. I thought about what Fury had said. _We're going to rebuild, or make plans, at least._

_..._

Rebuild. I liked that idea.

* * *

**A/N: Review?**


	9. Epilogue

EPILOGUE

It had been four months.

We'd recovered six S.H.I.E.L.D. bases and were attempting to take back another one. Occasionally, I would have lunch with Skye or Eva. We worked in the same building despite not being in the same department, after all, rebuilding the Science and Technology portion of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Tony dropped in sometimes. He would make it all seem a little less serious and a lot more fun, with his wild parties and stuff. Dr. Banner would come by occasionally too. Tony would continue poking him, just like usual. Fortunately for me, no broken noses though.

It was pretty rough on Skye, Eva, and me, but mostly Skye. Coulson, Ward, Steve, Barton, Natasha, Trip, and May were working on Operations. Skye couldn't see her parental figure or her boyfriend.

Thor went back to England and moved in with Jane. From time to time, Tony would come by with a tablet and I would laugh as he and Skye video chatted. Other times, she and Eva would call just to talk to Jane's intern. And her intern's intern who just so happened to be her boyfriend.

The Academies were up and running again, but slightly modified. Each person, upon graduating, received a job to do. Every now and then, Fury dropped by, and I think Skye liked playing with his head because she would, very frequently. She would make fun of him in front of Commander Hill, but I got the feeling he didn't mind, because he would just roll his eyes (yes, eyes. He totally ditched the eyepatch) and tell her to get back to work. Never anything worse. It was also pretty obvious that he was trying to hide a grin.

One day, Tony flew in for a visit—quite literally actually.

"Hey, Xoe. How's my fifth favorite female?"

"Geez. I feel so special," I said. He rolled his eyes.

"Well Pepper kind of has to be first, then Skye, because who wouldn't love her? Then Eva, because she just adores me. Then Natasha…she'd hurt me if I put you before her and as scary as you are, she's much worse, then you, then Simmons because I enjoy making her uncomfortable…"

"I get it. So, what's up?"

"The Director has a message."

"What does Skye want for Christmas? Much like Veronica Mars, I can't get her to give up the pony idea." He laughed.

"Actually, no. You guys up for a field trip?"

XxXxXxXxX

"Ta-da! Avengers Tower. Since Fury let us come out of hiding, we've spoofed it up a little."

"Awe-some!" Skye exclaimed. Simmons and Fitz were gabbing about security and tech and stuff and I was just smiling. "Earth to Xoe?"

"Xoe to Skye?" I mocked.

"Easy ladies, no catfights," Tony fake-scolded.

"Sexist!" I hollered at him. "Would you say that to Romanoff?"

"Only if we were on different sides of the universe."

"Exactly."

We all had dinner together, like on the Bus…except Thor. He didn't show.

"…and then this Rookie comes in and insults Coulson, calls him old or something, so May and I are like, 'Do you know who this is?' and the kid's like, 'he doesn't sign my paychecks, does he?' so May, Ward and I just totally kicked his ass to Asgard, and then Thor smashed it back," Natasha laughed, making animated motions with her hands. May smiled a little but hid it by taking a sip out of her wineglass.

"And I was so proud that they would defend me," Coulson added. "Even when I was wearing a sweatband to purposely embarrass them." Meanwhile, Steve and Tony were both reaching for another piece of chicken.

"Go ahead, Cap. Age before beauty, right?" Tony snarked. I choked on my water and laughed. Steve rolled his eyes but grabbed the food anyway. Tony pounced right after him. Steve wrapped an arm around my shoulders and I leaned against him. "Look at you two lovebirds," Tony sighed in a fake dreamy tone.

"You're just jealous because Pepper's away on business," I mocked like a child.

"Maybe. But I could replace her with any one of you," he joked. "Whaddya say, 'Linda?" he turned to the Cavalry with a suggestive look. Everyone laughed as May threw the butter knife into the wall behind Tony's head. Well, everyone except Tony.

"Hey!" he whined. "That's gonna cost a lot to fix!"

"The wall or your head," she responded with a shrug.

"My face is too beautiful to be damaged!"

"Beautiful my ass!" Eva protested with an eyeroll.

Tony raised an eyebrow.

"You're incorrigible."

"Would I be a billionaire if I weren't?"

"I don't know."

"Sorry, but that was wrong. The correct answer was 'no way, you handsome devil!'" he reprimanded her. She rolled her eyes and scootched closer to Trip.

"So, Tony, since you're a billionaire, do you think that you could get me a monkey?" Fitz asked casually, jumping when "No!" exploded from everyone on his team. "I was just asking," he defended.

"You're already a monkey!" Skye giggled as Ward placed a kiss on her forehead.

"Oh, Fitz. Don't be silly," Simmons said in a pretend sympathetic tone.

Fitz frowned and pursed his lips making him look very monkey-like. Everyone stared at each other.

And then everyone laughed.

I looked around the table of people I knew. My new team. Even if it wasn't officially stamped and initialed by some government organization, it was real. It was _very _real. They were all real.

Maybe someday we'll be able to totally rebuild. Maybe someday, when we're strong. But right now, we are weak. We don't have a lot of people on our side, but with every birth is potential. Every life that begins could help prevent another life from ending. Every day, we get new students at the Academy. They will help us become stronger. And we'll need all the strength we can get to take S.H.I.E.L.D. back. Maybe someday we'll be able to pick up the wreckage Maybe someday we'll be able to totally rebuild.

But until that day comes, we just need to live.

* * *

**A/N: So this is the end. For now, at least. Thank you so much to everybody that favorited and followed this. Also to Sidney, Lucy, aussieKayz, Pornoy SP, Guest, beautifulbeast, and WardLver for reviewing!**


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